Day 57, Oct. 6

Today was to be devoted to R&R. The bishop had the diocesan driver and the Schools head to take me to the mountains. I hadn’t known the climate I was in until e started to climb. It got progressively cooler. Now I knew the import of the question many people ask me when introduced. They ask if I’m adjusting to thee warm weather. I tell them I like hot days. I guess I do; but now I was experiencing the contrast. Indeed, I am much more used to a cooler climate. Going back down was oppressive.
We stopped a few times by the side of the road to take pictures. The first real stop was at the old Jesuit Retreat House. The Dindigul Diocese had their Priests’ retreat there a week before. T is a thing of beauty as the botanical classes from Jesuit Universities nearby grow flowers and trees there. They one had 400 acres of the best recreational land in the country. By mistake they sold some. But it is still worth in the hundreds of millions of rupees. The Jesuit in charge gave us a history and a thought that Jesuits could be of help in working with orphans and educational remedies to social problems.
From there we became tourists seeing the sights on top and looking at the wares for sale. There was honey, tea, coffee several exotic fruits and cheap stuff of all kinds. After checking out the sights, we reverted to our real selves and checked out La Sallette. It was a loose copy of the Basilica in the French Alps and with it one of the two places Our Lady is honored under that title. There are many Catholics in the area and it has a lot of visitors. Since the original missionaries here were French Jesuits, the connection is plain.
Following that we went for lunch to a gracious priest who was pastor of a large parish with a larger school. Of course, we did our usual tour of the school and interviewed some students. We learned of the need for computers in the Catholic schools. Knowledge of computers is the real ticket out of poverty. The kids know that.
From there we leisurely drove back to the Bishop’s House to get there in time for dinner. We had a great discussion on the bishop’s vision and the way to succeed in our quest. It would take an orderly relationship with bishops in several countries as well as religious communities. Their years of experience and zeal for educating children make them an efficient means toward our end. However, the local Indian bishop should be the overseer of the program.